


Spell It Out

by Amarilly (Tookbaggins)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aerith/Tifa - Freeform, Aerti, F/F, They’re both a little oblivious tbh, Zine piece, aeris/tifa - Freeform, coffee shop AU, zine: Flower Power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26194621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tookbaggins/pseuds/Amarilly
Summary: Written for the Aerti zine Flower Power.It was her again. The third time this week. How lucky for Aerith that this poor girl had to work so often. She felt guilty at the thought but getting up early had become so much easier since the dark haired girl, Tifa, had started working at the little, but busy, coffee shop. It had been a couple of weeks, but Aerith hadn’t quite found a way to strike up a conversation outside of her usual order. She wasn’t shy or anything, it just never seemed like there was enough of a lull in the flow of customers for them to talk.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	Spell It Out

**Author's Note:**

> I’m super excited to have been a part of this zine and get to write about my lifelong friends! I hope everyone enjoys this cute fic!

It was her again. The third time this week. How lucky for Aerith that this poor girl had to work so often. She felt guilty at the thought but getting up early had become so much easier since the dark haired girl, Tifa, had started working at the little, but busy, coffee shop. It had been a couple of weeks, but Aerith hadn’t quite found a way to strike up a conversation outside of her usual order. She wasn’t shy or anything, it just never seemed like there was enough of a lull in the flow of customers for them to talk. 

She had to say something today. She had to say... something that wasn’t creepy. This was Tifa’s workplace, after all. Hitting on her wouldn’t leave the greatest impression. The person in front of her was paying, thanking her for his receipt. Aerith moved into his spot almost before he had gotten out of the way, ignoring the annoyed look he threw at her. 

“Hi! Let me guess, toasted coconut latte, extra whip?” Tifa greeted her as cheerful as she always was and Aerith laughed. Maybe she had been coming more often than she thought if the girl knew her order. Tifa looked proud to have remembered, her cinnamon eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“Oh, actually no. I wanted to try something new? What do you like? Uh, I mean, do you have a suggestion?” Was that too much? She felt like it was too much. Tifa glanced down and crossed her arms as she leaned against the counter. A distinct flush crept into her face. 

“Oh, I really like the iced matcha latte. It’s not a popular flavor, for some reason, but you should try it sometime for sure.”

Aerith nodded, not really knowing what matcha was. Even if it was terrible she could tell her what she thought of it. Conversation achieved! “Can I have a small one?”

“Of course! Give me a second.” Tifa turned around to bustle off, grabbing a couple of cups to fill orders. Knowing the drill, Aerith moved to the end of the counter to wait. She couldn’t help herself. She smiled and leaned her chin in her hand, watching Tifa work. She seemed right at home behind a coffee bar. She also seemed popular. Various customers tried to engage her in conversation as she worked. She brushed them off easily, as if she were used to it. The unpleasant realization came to Aerith that she wasn’t much different, but at least she only talked to her when it was actually her turn and didn’t distract her so much. 

Many of the admirers vying for her attention were men. It wasn’t any wonder with the curves Tifa had. She seemed to have a sturdy build. Aerith straightened in her seat, the thought making her cringe at herself. Sturdy? What kind of way was that to describe a woman? Maybe if they were homesteaders or something, but in the city? Yikes. 

“Here. Sorry that it took a few minutes.” Tifa appeared beside her, setting the drink down gently. Aerith looked between her and the drink. It was very green, garnished with a pink flower. 

“...It’s green.”

“Yeah. Matcha is a kind of green tea.” Looking a little embarrassed, Tifa drew away from the counter. “I hope you like it.”

“Thanks, Tifa.” She picked up the drink and chose an empty table. What did she order? It didn’t look like any tea she’d ever seen. She turned the cup in her hands to inspect it. She stopped, her heart sinking slightly. There it was again. Aerith would admit that she had an unusual name. Not that unusual, but misspellings were to be expected here and there. She’d gotten a lot of them. Erith. Airith. Even Earth. She half expected the mistakes by now. But this? She frowned at the delicate scribble across the side of her cup, feeling a new kind of disappointment. People never had issues with the “th”. Was it on purpose? Or had Tifa paid that little attention to her? She’d pronounced her name very clearly the first few times she’d ordered, thinking it had been a mistake. How else could Tifa hear her name and get “Aeris” out of it? 

It was disheartening. She had even spelled it out for her the first time. She sighed, rubbing her thumb across the misspelling. The permanent marker didn’t budge. She hadn't expected it to. She hadn’t expected the misspelling to happen again, or for it to bother her so much. She lifted the cup and took a sip, humming thoughtfully at the sweet, earthy taste. It was nice, if a little different. 

Aerith sat there for a long time, slowly nursing the latte as she watched the line thin out. A lot of people left smiling, their day a little brighter after talking to the friendly barista. The unhappiness she felt faded slowly, leaving her as steadily as the crowd left the cafe. It was okay. Maybe she had just forgotten. This place was always busy in the middle of the day, after all. Besides, Aerith was a grown woman. It was silly to shy away from things and just hope that she’d be noticed eventually. It was time to do something. 

...or at least time to correct her spelling. She smiled to herself. It figured. Men were no problem, but a cute girl completely threw her off. It was those lovely eyes, maybe. Or the way she smiled. It definitely had something to do with the curve of her hips and that little sway when she walked...

Tifa was walking toward her. 

Tifa was walking toward her. Aerith nearly choked on her drink, covering her mouth as she straightened in her seat. How long had she been staring at her? Had she been staring? She was pretty sure she had. She returned the smile Tifa gave her as she pulled out the chair next to her. “You’re still here. So? What do you think?”

“What?” What did she think? Had she been talking out loud? Oh no. Tifa raised an eyebrow at her, looking expectant. Those pretty eyes shifted to the cup between them and Aerith’s scattered thoughts drew together as she laughed. “Oh! Yes! It was kind of weird at first, but I like it a lot. Thanks.”

“I’m glad, I was hoping you would. It’s not for everyone.” She put her elbows on the table and cradled her chin on the back of her fingers. “I noticed you still hanging out over here. You looked a little zoned out, though.”

She had noticed. Waving a hand dismissively, Aerith put her hands around her cup, moving it idly back and forth. “I was just thinking, I guess. Places like this are good for that.”

“Noisy coffee shops?”

“Lively places, I mean. People coming and going, friends laughing together, stuff like that. Plus, it smells wonderful in here.” 

“I see. It makes sense you’d like it.”

“What?” Tifa’s face reddened slightly and she dropped her hands to the table.

“I just mean you always seem to brighten up when you come in and start talking. You’re a people person, huh?”

Aerith almost laughed. She liked people well enough but the only reason she had to brighten up in the mornings was sitting across from her. Tifa had noticed that she was happy to see her but didn’t seem to have made the connection. It was cute. She was cute. She was finally out from behind that counter and within arm’s reach. Before she could think about it Aerith reached across the table, her fingers brushing Tifa’s as if testing the waters. When she didn’t move away Aerith let her hand rest lightly atop the other girl’s. Tifa twitched uncertainly, looking back at her. “Tifa. This is my favorite place to come in the mornings.”

“Is it? I’m glad! I want people to enjoy coming here.”

“Guess why!” This was it. She had her where she could really talk to her. Finally, after getting up early for weeks. Sitting here and daydreaming wasn’t doing anything for her, it was time to do something. 

“We have good coffee?”

“You do, but that’s not it.” Aerith’s smile widened and a blush flared in Tifa’s cheeks. “Come on.”

“I don’t…I don’t know. Why?”

“There’s this one barista. A really cute one. When she smiles...wow. It’s amazing.” It was dawning on Tifa, now, and her eyes widened in surprise. “And her eyes are an unusual color. Like cinnamon.”

“Aerith.”

“I come super early all the time so I can see her. I’ve never gotten to talk to her much, though. I mean, she’s working. I don’t want to be weird. But I’m hoping, well, maybe someday I can ask her if she,” she hesitated, raising her gaze hopefully to Tifa. “Would she like to have dinner some time. With me.”

The hand beneath hers shifted, turning to tangle with her own. Tifa was smiling. “She would love to, and she only works until four.”

“Oh. Oh!” Aerith laughed breathlessly, still nervous as she smiled widely and squeezed her fingers a little tighter. “Okay!” She stood, releasing Tifa’s hand so she could join her. “Okay! So I’ll see you at four? I mean, you know I meant-“

“Yeah I know.” Tifa giggled into her hand. Aerith was more nervous than she had seemed a moment before. She hoped that laugh meant Tifa thought it was cute. “I’d better get back.” She started to turn, but stopped. “Oh, I guess I should apologize. I’ve been spelling your name wrong all this time. I was hoping you’d come back and talk to me about it. I guess it wasn’t necessary, huh?”

Aerith blushed slightly, suddenly feeling silly for feeling so disheartened. She should’ve talked to her sooner! She shook her head, laughing. “You have? I didn’t even notice.”

Tifa returned the smile, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. Every bit of her radiated happiness. “Well...You noticed something at least.”


End file.
